Detachable propelling device for rowboats.



0. K- NICOLAYSEN.

DETACHABLE PROPELLING DEVICE FOR ROWBOATS.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 8. 1916.

1,234,929. Patented July 31, 1917.

(Afflnesses Im/erd'o I:

Olw K.I\Ticol a ere: J2 Is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLUF K. NICOLAYSEN, 0F MINNEAPOIZIS, MINNESOTA.

DETACHABLE PROPELLING DEVICE FOR. ROWBOATS To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLUr K. NICOLA-YSEN, a subject of the King ofNorway, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of I-Iennepin and Stateof Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Propelling Devices for Rowboats, of whichthe following is aspecification.

- My invention relates to detachable propelling devices for rowboats andthe like and has for its object to provide means for an'gularlyadjusting and reversing the direction and operation of the propellerindependently of the motor for operating said propeller. In carrying outmy invention I provide a housing for a vertical drive shaft in which thepropeller is journaled, which.

housing may be rotated to permit the propeller to face in any directionand so cause the boat to travel as desired. By means of a gear rigidlyattached to the shaft housing and cooperating with a manually-controlledmember having an internal segment gear cooperating with the first-namedgear and a handle within easy reach of the operator, the shaft housingand the propellermay be rotated as desired. v

In carrying out my invention I provide a pivoted operating membercomprising a yoke member havlng an internal gear segment meshing with aspur gear or pinion, the pivot of the yoke member being at the rear ofand in line with the pivot of the spur gear. The detachable marineengine is primarily devised for use for small boats such as rowboatshaving a rear wall and a rear seat adjacent thereto. The yoke member isprovided with a handle, preferably at one side thereof, which extendsforward conveniently adjacent the rowboat seat. It will be apparent thatthis construction not only gives a relatively long leverage for acomparatively short tiller arm, but also, because of the rearwardpivoting of the yoke member, gives for forward steering a true tilleraction in oscillating the propeller or rudder connected with the spurgear. That is, when the tiller arm is moved in one direction the rudderor propeller is oscillated in the opposite direction, just as is true ofthe commontiller and rudder of a rowboat or sailboat. Furthermore, theyoke member is so proportioned to the spur gear and the tiller arm soconnected with the yoke member, that when the tiller arm extendsdirectly ahead the propeller and rudder are Specification of LettersPatent. Patented J uly 31, 191 '1, Application filed April 8, 1916.Serial No. 89,748.

maximum effective forward turning action,

and then engagement of the yoke member with the spur gear or pinion willblock fur ther movement in that-direction. For reversing, the segmentwill be swung until the other end thereof comes into cooperation withthe spur gear, at which end the same range of reverse control isprovided and is.

limited in the opposite direction of movement of the yoke member bycorresponding engagement of the other side of the yoke member with thespur gear.

-The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear inconnection with the detailed description thereof and are particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, illustrating the application of my invention in oneform,

Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevational view of a portion of amarine engine embodying my invention and attached to a rowboat with theparts positioned to cause the boat to travel in a forward direction.Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig; 1 with the parts positioned to causethe boat to travel in the opposite direction. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe reversing and steering mechanism set as indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the parts set as indicated in Fig. 2.Figs. 1 and 2 show one form of a detachable marine engine applied to therear of a rowboat. An engine comprising a cylinder 10 and a crank case11, as well as other customary parts not shown in the drawings, ispivotally secured to a casting 12 by bolts 13 screwed into said crankcase. Casting 12 is provided with a U-shaped member 14 in which isscrewed a clamping screw 15 by means of which the device may be securedto the back of a rowboat 16. As will be noted, the engine ishorizontally positioned and is provided at the lower portion of thecrank case 11 with a downwardly-projecting bearing 17 through which acrank shaft 18 extends. A partly split tubular sleeve 19 is journaledabout the end of the crank-case bearing 17 and is adapted to surroundand be secured to a similar tube 22 by means of a bolt 20 screwablethrough the divided parts of the sleeve 19. A collar 21 is looselypositioned upon the sleeve 22 and abuts against the en of the sleeve 19.A bolt 23 passes through a slot 24 in a segmental arm 25 formed integralwith the casting l2 and is screwed into the collar 21. By this means thecollar may be clamped to the segment at any desired position on the secut and the angularity of the crank sha t 18 with respect to the boatmay be varied at will. The slot-24 is in an arc of a circle having thecenter of bolt 13 as a center and hence causes said collar 21 to remainat a definite depth below the motor proper, holding the tube or sleeve19 correctly positioned.

The driving means from the engine to the propeller are best shown inFig. 1. A drive shaft 26 is journaled within the tube 22 and extendsthroughout the length of the same into a propeller housing 27 where, bymeans of a pair of miter gears not shown in the drawings a drive betweena propeller 28 and said shaft is effected 'in the usual manner. Theupper end 29 of shaft 26 is preferably made square and is adapted toslide into the shaft 18 to form a sphned connection therewith. Byshifting ,the position of the sleeve 19 upon the tube 22 the propeller28 can be made to descend into the water at various depths to conform todifferent sizes of boats and for other similar purposes to correctlyposition the propeller in respect to the same. A rudder 30 may be formedintegral with the housing 27 or may be situated and operated in anyother suitable manner.

In steering and reversing the direction of travel of the boat I employthe following mechanism: Attached to the upper end of the sleeve 19 is aspur gear 31 which may have teeth on only a portlon of the "peripherythereof as which may have teeth completely encompassing the same. Thisgear meshescwith an internal gear segment 32 having members 33 and 34inclosing the gear 31 and connect ing the segment 32 with a hub 35, andcom-,

prising in effect a yoke member surround ing the gear 31 and having theinternal ear segment 32 cooperating therewith. eg' ment 32 is'pivoted tothe extreme rear portion of the crank case 11 by means of a stubshaft 36which passes through hub 35 and'is secured to said crank case by a pin37 and has on the end thereof a'washer 38 and a pin 39 for holding saidin place. A lu 40 is formed inte l with segment 32 an has screwed into1t a long rod 41 which serves as a handle for oscillating said segment.By this means the gear 31can be rotated as shown in Fig. 3 to cause thepropeller to face as shown in Fig. 1 in driving the boat forward, or itmay be rotated as shown in Fig. 4 to position the ropeller' asshown inFig. 2 to drive the oat backward. Any osci ations of gear shown in Figs.3 and 4, or

' steering gear segment from the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 willhence tend to steer the boat 1n the usual manner, the rudder 30assisting in said op eration. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that t rod 41in that position of the segment 32 ex-' the handle is substantiallystraight and the operator is able to tell when he 1s traveling in adirect course. In order to have the lug garallel to the keel t yfacilitates steer 40 oscillate more nearly the same distance 7 on bothsides of the center line of the engine, said lug is offset to one sidethereof, as

clearly shown in 3.

The parts in the positionshown in Fi .3

are so related that the rudder andpro'pe ler are positioned for drivingand steering directly ahead, as indicated in Fig. 1. Correspondingly,the parts as shown in Fig. i are related and positioned so as to driveand steer directly in reverse position, as indi-' cated in Fig. 2. Theyoke portion 34: is so positioned relative to gear 31 that it willengage said gear and limit movement thereof by opposite movement oftheyoke member to the maximum eflectiveforward turning action in onedirection. Correspond- 31 will limit reverse steering action in one"ingly, the part 33 by engagement with gear V W direction. Theintervening portion of the segment will care for the maximum forwardsteering action and reverse steering action in the opposite directions.In this manner, wlth a yoke member of relatively small range of movementa complete, range of.

steering action in both direct and reverse directions 1s provided, and1n no position 7 can the parts become disassociated' or other thaneffectively related. The pivot 36 0f the yoke member being at the rearof and m km with shaft 18 gives a relatively large 7 leverage and alsocauses the propeller and r of tiller 41 as in a common rudder and tillerconstruction. The provision of the tiller arm 41 at one side of the yokemember rudder to operate in referenbe to movement 7 7 gives ample roomfor the pilot to sit in the rear seat of the rowboat and move'the arm.

from one extreme position to the other as and driving requirements maynocessitate.

The advantages of my invention are manifest. The engine remainsstationary after being once attached and adjusted: to the boat, which isespecially advantageous in cranking the engine as it is onl necessary to.use one hand in performing t 5 operation. The operating handle projectsin toward the boat from below the engine and hence does not require thatthe operator geat near the exposed fly-wheel and starting crank usuallypositioned on the upper side of such en-' gi 'ng the steeringhandle a.

. qu1ck erk to t e' side the direction of travel of the propeller can beinstantly reversed and the power of the engine used as a brake. Toperform this functlon it becomes evident that no clutch is required andit does not become necessary to change the speed of the propeller shaftor sever drivin connections with the engine shaft, whic it is well-knownaffects the operation of the engine.

I claim:

1. In a detachable marine engine a propeller and means for oscillatingthe same, comprising a pinion, a yoke member surrounding said pinion andpivoted to the rear thereof and having an internal gear segmentcooperating with said pinion, said segment engaging said pinion inrelation to the propeller and rudder so as to give a maximum range offorward driving oscillations atone side of the center of said seg-'ment, and a maximum range of reverse driving oscillations at the otherside of the center of said segment.

2. In a detachable marine engine a propeller and means for oscillatingthe same comprising a pinion, a yoke member surrounding said pinion andpivoted to the rear thereof and having an internal gear segmentcooperating with said pinion, said segment engaging said pinion inrelation to the propeller and rudder so as to gi-ve'a maximum range offorward driving oscillations at one side of the center of said segmentand a maximum range of reverse driving oscillations at the other side ofthe center of said segment, and the sides of said yoke member being sopositioned as to limit the oscillations at either end by engagement withsaid spur ear.

3. n a detachable marine engine a propeller and means for oscillatingthe same comprising a pinion, a yoke member surrounding said pinion andpivoted at the rear thereof and having an internal gear segmentcooperating with said pinion so that movement of said yoke member willoscillate the pinion and the propeller through maximum ranges of directand reverse driving action, and a tiller handle secured to said yokemember spaced from the line of centers of oscillation of said yokemember and pinion and positioned so that the parts are held for directforward driving action when the tiller handle is parallel with the lineof said pivots.

4;. In combination with the supporting frame of a marine engine, avertical supporting member rotatably suspended from the frame, apropeller journaled upon said supporting member with its axis ofrotation at right angles thereto, means to drive the propeller, a gearon said supporting member, and a yoke member having an internal gearsegment meshing with said gear. for rotating the supporting member, saidyoke member being pivotally connected to the frame at the rear of thesupporting member.

5. In combination with the supporting frame of a marine engine, avertical supporting member rotatably suspended from the frame, apropeller journaled upon said supporting member with its axis ofrotation at right angles thereto, means to drive the propeller, a gearon said supporting member, and a yoke member having an internal gearsegment meshing with said gear for rotating the supporting member, saidyoke member being pivotally connected to the frame at the rear of thesupporting member 1 and in line with the axis of rotation of thesupporting member.

In testimony whereof aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLUF K. NICOLAYSEN.

Witnesses:

F. A. WHITELEY, H. A. BowMAN.

